Door flipper arrangement



Nov. 10, 1970 n. E. OMLIE 3,538,643

' DOOR FLIPPER ARRANGEMENT Filed May 7, 1969 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 {a Irma/wok.

90/10/15 Um/z'e & 5%

AT TORN EY United States Patent 3,538,643 DOOR FLIPPER ARRANGEMENT Donald E. Omlie, Utica, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 7, 1969, Ser. No. 822,635 Int. Cl. E06b 7/20 US. Cl. 49311 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A combination door window edge seal and retaining member is pivotally mounted on the vehicle body adjacent the upper portion of the door opening and movable from an extended position to a retracted sealing and retaining position over the upper window edge portion by a member remote from the door window in response to closing movement of the vehicle door.

The primary feature of this invention is that it provides new and improved door window edge sealing and retaining means. Another feature of this invention is that it provides new and improved door window edge sealing and retaining means including a sealing and retaining member pivotally mounted on the vehicle body for sealing and retaining engagement over the edge portion of a limitedly deflectable window panel and actuated in response to closing movement of the vehicle door by means remote from the window edge portion. Still another feature of this invention is that the axis of the pivotal connection between the sealing and retaining member and the vehicle body is so situated with respect to the sealed edge of the window that forces tending to deflect the window are reacted substantially directly through the pivotal connection without any significant forced rotation of the sealing and retaining member disturbing the window seal or permitting window deflection.

These and other features of the invention will be readily apparent from the following specifications and drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a fourdoor hardtop style vehicle body including door window edge sealing and retaining means according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 3--3 in FIG. 2 with the seal and retaining means shown in extended position;

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3 showing the seal and retaining means in operative retracted position over the upper edge of the door window;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 55 in FIG. 2 but showing the seal and retaining means in operative retracted position over the upper edge of the window; and,

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1 of the drawings there is shown a four-door hardtop style vehicle body 10 having a rear quarter door opening 12 therein and a rear quarter door 14 swingably mounted thereon for movement between open and closed positions. Rear door 14 has mounted thereon in conventional manner a side drop window panel 16 movable between raised and lowered positions relative to a portion of the door opening when door 14 is in the closed position.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, vehicle body 10' has inner roof reinforcing rail members 18 and 20 extending longitudinally of the body in known manner and joined at flanges 22 and 24. A drip rail 26 is attached to rail 20 by welding or otherwise and an exterior roof panel 28 is 'ice in turn attached at an edge flange thereof to the drip rail and forms therewith a drip channel 30 operative for run off of water from the roof as is conventional. An exterior decorative molding 32 is clipped onto the drip rail 26 and an interior molding assembly 34 is secured to the flanges 22 and 24 and overlies the marginal edge of the interior headliner 36. The recess between the two longitudinally extending moldings 32 and 34 provides for general concealment of the seal and retaining means of the invention now to be described.

In the illustrative embodiment shown herein the seal and retaining means are applied to the rear door window 16 though it will be understood that the invention applies equally to front and other door windows as well. As seen in FIG. 3, there is fixed to the exterior of flange 24 by any suitable means, such as screws or the like, a pair of of spaced hinged posts 38 having pivot pin apertures therein. 'Received within the pin apertures are pivot pins 40 provided at opposite ends of a channel-shaped seal housing and retaining member 42. A line through such pins defines an axis 44 of rotation of member 42, FIG. 2. A resilient seal strip 46 having depending lips 48 and 50 and a web section 52 is secured within seal housing and retaining member 42, lip 50 being grooved to receive the depending edge portion of member 42. As best shown in FIG. 3, each pivot pin 40 has a torsion spring 54 mounted thereon with a spring leg 56 abutting the interior of a depending edge portion of member 42 and a spring leg 58 anchored to hinge post 38. Torsion springs 54 thereby bias seal housing and retaining member 42 to its extended position as shown. Resilient seal strip '60 secured to the underside of drip rail 26 seals the area outboard of and around the seal housing and retaining member 42 and below the roof rail member 20.

Referring to FIG. 1, it is seen that in the illustrative embodiment the upper edge of window panel 16 has a slight crown 17, i.e. a curved upper edge in elevation. Accordingly, in FIG. 2 showing seal housing and retaining member 42 in its extended position, member 42 is formed with a corresponding crown or curvature 43 allowing seal 46 to sealingly engage the entire upper edge of window panel 16.

Referring now to FIG. 4, seal housing and retaining member 42 is shown in operative retracted position with seal 46 in sealing engagement with raised Window panel 16. The axis of rotation 44 of housing 42 through pins 40 lies substantially inboard of and parallel to window panel 16 and is generally in the same horizontal plane as the sealed edge portion 47 of the window panel contacted by lip 48 and web 52. Thus, forces on seal 46 and seal housing and retaining member 42 resulting from any tendency of window panel 16 to deflect outward as under a pressure differential existing between the interior and exterior of the vehicle or otherwise are reacted substantially directly through the pivot pins 40 without a force component causing significant forced rotation of the seal housing and retaining member about axis 44 towards its retracted position. Therefore, the tendency of the window to deflect and break the sealing engagement is effectively eliminated.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, there is shown remote actuating means generally indicated at 62 and including an actuating shaft 64 rotatably mounted on the vehicle body 10 adjacent rear jamb wall 66 of the door opening 12. Actuating shaft 64 has a shank portion 68 suitably journaled at apertures in the body sail panel, FIG. 1, an integral leg 70 formed at approximately a degree angle relative thereto and a second integral leg 72 formed at a similar angle relative to the shank. Leg 72 outboard of its juncture with shank 68 has a cam lobe 74 formed thereon and maintained in sliding contact with a surface 76 on seal housing and retaining member 42 by the pressure of springs 54 biasing such member to extended position. The portion of leg 70 extending into door opening 12, FIG. 1, is contacted by door 14 during final closing movement of the door and rotated about the axis defined by shank portion 68. The resulting rotation of shank 68 causes cam lobe 74 to sweep across surface 76 on member 42 thereby camming member 42 about axis 44 to the operative retracted position of FIGS. 4 and 5.

In the sequence of movement of door 14 toward fully closed portion, the latter stage of door closing movement swings window upper edge 47 below depending lip 48 of seal 46 and into contact with depending lip 50. At this point, door 14 contacts the leg 70 and the final closing movement rotates leg 70, shank 68 and leg 72 thereby camming seal housing and retaining member 42 to its operative retracted position with lips 48 and 50 and web 52 in sealing engagement with upper edge 47, as shown in FIG. 5.

With window panel 16 raised door 14 cannot be opened until seal housing and retaining member 42 is pivoted to its extended position and lip 48 clears the top edge of panel 16. Since seal housing and retaining member 42 is held in its retracted position by actuating means 62 against the biasing force of springs 54, this required movement occurs automatically when door 14 is opened releasing leg 70 of actuating means 62 and allowing springs 54 to extend seal housing and retaining member 42 and, through reversal of the functions of surface 76 and cam lobe 74, to return actuating means 62 to its original door open position.

It follows from the above description that the existence of a venilator window or other rigid frame attached to door 14 in the area of window panel 16 is not material since seal actuation is independent of this factor. It is further evident from the above description that raising window panel 16 while door 14 is closed will bring the upper edge of the panel into sealing engagement within seal 52 and that minor misalignment between the edge of window panel 16 and the lips 48 and 50 of seal 46 are compensated for by the resiliency therein.

I claim:

1. In a vehicle body including a portion defining door and door window opening and swingably mounting a door for movement between open and closed position with respect to a portion of said opening, said door carrying a door window for closing the remainder of said opening and subject to limited forced lateral deflection relative to said door out of a normal relation therewith, door window edge sealing and retaining means comprising, a seal and retaining member; means pivotally mounting said seal and retaining member on said body adjacent the marginal edge of said opening for rotation between an extended and a retracted sealing position about an axis extending longitudinally of the body, said seal and retaining member in the retracted position thereof being sealingly engageable with a marginal edge portion of said door window in the closed position of said door, said engagement being effected along a line substantially laterally spaced from and generally parallel to said axis and situated with the latter generally in a horizontal plane so that lateral deflecting forces on said window are reacted through said pivotal connecting means without substantial forced rotation of said seal and retaining member from said retracted position thereof; and actuating means on said body remote from said marginal edge of said window responsive to movement of said door from the open to the closed position thereof for moving said seal and retaining member from the extended to the retracted position thereof.

2. Door window edge sealing and retaining means as recited in claim 1 further including means biasing said sealing and retaining member from the retracted to the extended position thereof.

3. In a vehicle body including a portion defining a door and door window opening and swingably mounting a door for movement between open and closed position with respect to a portion of said opening, said door carrying a door window for closing the remainder of said opening and subject to limited forced lateral deflection relative to said door out of a normal relation therewith, door window edge sealing and retaining means comprising, a generally channel shaped seal housing and retaining member; seal strip means secured within said seal housing and retaining member; means pivotally mounting said seal housing and retaining member on said body adjacent a marginal edge of said opening for rotation between an extended and a retracted sealing position about an axis extending longitudinally of the body, said seal strip means in the retracted position of said seal housing and retaining member being sealingly engageable with a marginal edge portion of said door window in the closed position of said door, said engagement being effected along a line substantially laterally spaced from and generally parallel to said axis and situated with the latter generally in a horizontal plane so that lateral deflecting forces on said window are reacted through said pivotal connecting means without substantial forced rotation of said seal housing and retaining member from said retracted position thereof; spring means between said pivotally mounted seal housing and retaining member and said vehicle body urging said pivotally mounted seal housing and retaining member from the retracted to the extended position thereof; and an actuating member rotatably mounted on said vehicle body and having a first end portion thereof engageable by a portion of said door remote from said marginal window edge portion during the final stage of movement of said door from the open to the closed position thereof, said actuating member including a second end portion engageable with said seal housing and retaining member, said final door movement causing rotation of said actuating member and consequent rotation by said second portion thereof of said seal housing and retaining member from the extended to retracted position thereof in opposition to said spring means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,631,887 3/1953 Wernig 49311 2,649,329 8/1953 Bratton et al. 493l1 2,791,465 5/1957 Schumaker et a1. 49-311 2,983,544 5/1961 Arlaukas et al 49308 KENNETH DOWNEY, Primary Examiner 

